You can read all about ideal governance models that should work, but what does it really take to run a website in higher ed? This study researched staff structures, roles, and skills at colleges and universities so we could share real examples of how day-to-day website management gets done across higher ed.
3. “Many orgs identify their digital teams as
only the hands-on resources that
design, write, and post web content on a
daily basis. This narrow view reinforces
the idea that digital is a tactical function
and not a strategic one.”
— Lisa Welshman, “Managing Chaos”
13. @rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
Number of people on the web team
Web Team
9+
6-8
5
4
3
2
1Not much difference
Public/private
4-year/2-year
Site size
14. @rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
Common web team skills
Web Team
CMS Entry
Editing
Writing
Photo
Analytics
Graphic Design
Social Media
IA
Front End Dev
Content Mktg
SEO
Taxonomy
Accessibility
Back End Dev
Usability Test
Video
PR
Digital Ads
0 25 50 75 100
15. @rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
Outsourced skills
Web Team
Back End Dev
Digital Ads
Video
Photo
Front End Dev
Graphic Design
SEO
IA
Analytics
Usability Test
Accessibility
Taxonomy
Writing
Content Mktg
PR
Editing
CMS Entry
Social Media
18. @rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
Ongoing content maintenance
Web Team
89%
Run
analytics
reports
75%
Send
requests for
web
updates
Delete
unused
pages
Content
audits
Monitor site
search logs
User testing
66% 62% 56% 31%
20. @rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
The challenges of higher ed
Challenges
Quality, updated
content
Staffing
Too many
cooks
Disagree
on web’s
purpose
Training/
web skills
Internal
comm.
issues
# of
audiences
Measuring
success
CMS
sucks
Too much
content
No respect!
Rebellion
Too slow
Pace of
tech
Power
struggles
$
No
leadership
support
Lack of ownership
21. “Too many @$#% cooks in the
kitchen. Seriously. Everyone who
has ever turned on a computer
since the Commodore 64 thinks
they know how to do everything.”
Higher ed’s content challenges
22. “The web team has very specialized
knowledge that is used daily to
maintain the website. To think that
anyone given a WYSIWYG editor can
write web content and maintain a
website is demeaning and insulting.”
Higher ed’s content challenges
24. “We incorporated an online coordinator
system, which is mainly secretaries
making changes. They aren’t in the system
enough to be confident, and don’t review
their websites or keep things updated.
This was not a productive change for
anyone, and our website has failed due to
it.”
Higher ed’s content challenges
25. “We’ve got a fairly good grip on
the core content now, which is
managed centrally, but a large
chunk is outside the central team.
As a small central team, we don’t
have the time to support and
guide those web authors.”
Higher ed’s content challenges
28. @rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
Types of web teams
Patterns from the data
MarComm-based
Slick, graphic-
heavy templates
Prioritized around
business goals
Consistent
branding and
messaging
IT-based
Focused on
workflows and
permissions
Request-based
updates
Page load times,
accessibility
29. @rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
Types of web teams
Patterns from the data
Centralized
Consistent
branding and
messaging
Bottlenecks
Not enough staff to
support everyone
Edge-case needs
not met
Decentralized
Speedy updates
Autonomy
SME knowledge
Inconsistency
Poor-quality
content
Silos
30. @rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
The challenges of higher ed
Patterns from the data
Quality, updated
content
Staffing
Too many
cooks
Disagree
on web’s
purpose
Training/
web skills
Internal
comm.
issues
# of
audiences
Measuring
success
CMS
sucks
Too much
content
No respect!
Rebellion
Too slow
Pace of
tech
Power
struggles
$
No
leadership
support
Lack of ownership
31. @rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
The challenges of higher ed
Patterns from the data
Staffing
Politics
Not enough
investment in
digital
Lack of skills
& experience
Misunderstanding of
web’s power and
purpose
38. @rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
Ways people deal
Set up workflows based on stages of
expertise, not org. structure
SMEs edit text, but web specialists build
new pages, create layouts, add images
Edit access, but not publish permissions;
built-in review stage
Outsourced hosting or content maintenance
tasks, e.g., SiteImprove
41. “If I could go back, I’d be more proactive
and empower people to be more excited
about the web and their role in it…building
those relationships, giving people a real
understanding of your work and why it
matters, and what they can do about it.”
— Web communications manager
at a large university
44. Prioritizing web projects
Does it support org. goals?
What’s the ROI?
Is it urgent?
Are resources available?
Is it a mandate/compliance issue?
When was it requested?
Is it their “turn”?
45. Core Web Team Marketing Web Committee
Content Accuracy Responsible Consulted Informed
Content Style &
Format
Responsible Accountable Informed
Design Accountable Responsible Informed
Information
Architecture
Responsible/
Accountable
Consulted Informed
Digital Strategy Responsible Consulted Accountable
Draw lines
in the sand
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
50. “I’ve worked in central IT and
in marketing, and the thing
that was missing with both of
those groups is nobody talked
about the user experience.”
— Director of Website Services
53. “We are a federated governance model;
the central governing body doesn’t have
control over the states. In higher ed,
consensus decision-making is the norm.
We have to accept and work within that,
and get around the table.”
— Web services director for provost’s
office
54. “It helps a lot to understand that change
CAN happen. It’s all about finding the
motivation for people; they’ll get there, but
they have to see how it affects them.
Sometimes you have to let academia be
academia. But, if you show them you tried to
meet them halfway, they’ll come around.”
— Content strategist for large
university and research institute
